1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to accumulating and box packing of a product. More specifically, the present invention relates to an accumulation device for accumulating (stacking) a plurality of packaged confections or other products according to at least one prescribed accumulation pattern, and to a box packing system that is provided with the accumulation device.
2. Background Information
Checking devices, accumulation devices, box packing devices, and the like are currently used in production lines that include a combination weighing device or a bag manufacturing and packaging machine. Examples of checking devices include seal checkers that check for defects in the sealed portion of a confection bag or the like, weight checkers for verifying whether the weight of a product is within a prescribed range, and other checkers. An accumulation device arranges a plurality of bags of normal products, whose checking is completed, into a prescribed pattern. A box packing system packs a bundle of a plurality of accumulated bags into a cardboard box.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2004-155428 (published on Jun. 3, 2004) discloses a box packing system for packing bundles of a plurality of packaged products into a box at high speed from the horizontal direction in multiple levels, wherein the products are accumulated so as to stand sideways on a conveyor device. Also, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. H05-262304 discloses a box packing device that includes a belt conveyor having a convening surface that is selectively extendable in a conveying direction. Furthermore, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2005-119723 discloses a box packing system that is provided with a guide mechanism that is arranged to adjust a position or posture of the packaged products as the packaged products are transported on the conveyor.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved accumulation device and box packing system. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.